County Government Releases Highlights of the Past Fiscal Year

Henderson County 2016-17 Highlights
On the occasion of Henderson County Judge-Executive Brad Schneider’s 2017 State of the County
address Thursday, below are some county government highlights from the past 12 months, listed by department:

Fiscal Court:
• Completed second consecutive fiscal year in the black
• Passed 2017-18 budget that also anticipates surplus that will be used to restore general fund
reserves as well as services, equipment and employee benefits cut in previous budgets due to
financial crisis.
• Implemented cap on net profits tax, which should aid local businesses, especially family-owned
farms.
• Developed and implemented sustainable volunteer fire department funding plan.
• Held series of countywide town halls on VFD plan and other issues important to constituents.
• Implemented upgraded financial reporting software system and approved new, more featurefilled
and user friendly website.
• Approved economic development incentive packages that helped secure the new Hansens
Aluminum plant and a significant expansion at Gibbs Die Casting.
County Attorney’s Office:
• Took lead in Western Kentucky in implementation and public education about Casey’s Law. We
worked with the courts and medical providers to streamline the process for families of those
suffering from addiction to obtain life-saving involuntary substance abuse treatment. By
addressing these issues before they come through criminal court, it enhances public safety,
saves taxpayers, and is most likely to achieve meaningful recovery for the individual.
• Worked with significantly more property owners to set up payment plans for their county taxes
than we have in recent memory. This keeps their delinquent tax bills from being bought by
predatory companies who could foreclose. At the same time, we were able to increase
delinquent tax collections by over 37% over the prior year.
• Collected nearly $6.2 million in child support. Our child support office had the 4th highest return
on investment (dollars collected per dollar funded) in the state.
• Developed the B.A.R.K. (Building Animal Responsibility and Knowledge) program with Animal
Control to educate minor offenders on how to be more responsible pet owners.
• We continue to update and provide additional functionality and data to the county’s financial
transparency portal, the H.E.A.R.T. Database.
County Attorney Steve Gold was elected president of the Kentucky County Attorney’s Association and
serves on KACo board under KACo President Bruce Todd. He was also selected by president of the
Kentucky Bar Association to serve on Future of the Practice of Law Commission which is tasked with
creating a roadmap to assist attorneys adapting to the changing. He continues to focus on juvenile
justice and is currently in Washington, D.C. attending Georgetown University’s Youth-In-Custody
Certificate Program as part of Kentucky delegation.

Sheriff’s Department:
• Made more drug arrest in the last 12 months than ever in their history. Why is the a positive
accomplishment. Along with drugs comes crime. Making drug arrests and being aggressive in
drug investigations mean that the Sheriff’s Office is working as hard as possible to rid our
community of the drug problem and the crime that comes with it. And they pledge to continue
their efforts to do a good law enforcement job for our community.
• The Sheriff’s Office is in the process of purchasing a drone. The drone will be used for Amber
Alerts, Silver Alerts, accident reconstruction, and various other law enforcement needs to
provide the most modern and up to date law enforcement services in the area.

Recycling/Solid Waste Department:
• Kept over 60,000lbs out of our landfill.
• Made $ 40,000 in recycling revenues to offset expenses.
• Recycling containers are going back into the school system.
• Most of the department’s 5X8 containers will be back out soon to businesses for cardboard.
• Trash Talk City/County litter pick-ups started this past January and along with the River Sweep in
June we have cleaned up approximately 6.5 tons of trash . A special thank you to the WARM
Center that helps with the clean-ups every time.
• Greater awareness of litter issues in the count.

Detention Center:
• A much needed kitchen expansion is in progress.
• The community service program is currently maintaining the 30,589 plants on 22 ½ acres of
gardens the facility has this year; We have already harvested over 32,405 lbs. of vegetables that
are used to feed inmates.
• Second perfect audit in a row for the jail’s Substance Abuse Program, which had 174 graduates
in the past year.
• The fiscal year that just closed should be (financially) the best year in Henderson County
Detention Center history.i
• Inmate crew activities: 2,546 acres mowed/maintained; 898 tires collected; 213,384 lbs. of trash
picked up; 16, 063 miles of roadway trashed (cleaned); 21 special details (i.e. re-set crosses in
the park, chairs for programs in the community to include Memorial Day Program, set-up and
take down pole vault event, assist with Brain Injury Prom, Audubon State Park, Relay for Life
Clean-up, etc.)

Parks Department:
• Sandy Lee Watkins Park Developments: Outdoor Archery Facility near completion, facility has
approximately 3 miles of walking trail, radio control flyers landing strip is utilized monthly. Parks
employees completed the LG&E –KU Plant for the Planet Grant by planting nearly 10,000 for
reforestation efforts in this park. A new possibility for this park will be an Agri-Park, this is an
area that will be developed using farm machinery that has been refurbished to create a park
such as, combines with an area for children to “drive”, and slides, or corn cribs with climbing
areas as well as slides. The possibilities are endless and will build Henderson a one of a kind
destination for families not only in Henderson County but in the tri-state area.
• Baskett Park- Baskett Recreation is in their 4th successful year since the improvements of the
facility that were completed in 2014. Baskett Recreation makes investments back into the
community, in 2015 they purchased toddler playground equipment for the area near the
concession stand, 2016 made improvements to the concession stand area and in 2017 they
purchased a 10 X 12 storage barn for the facility.
• The county fair had a very successful county fair 2015 and 2016 and they anticipate another
successful year in 2017 with another full calendar, tractor pulls, special needs rodeo, Square B
Rodeo, Car Show, truck show, 4-H livestock show Venders, Midway and more. This is made
possible through great partnerships with Dana Corporation, the Henderson County Board of
Education, the school bus garage, Henderson County High School, Chase Fulcher Kentucky Farm
Bureau and many other local companies that are contributing to the growth and success. The
Kentucky Junior Rodeo Association, Kentucky High School Rodeo Association, and Western
Kentucky Saddlebred are booked again this year, and independent horse groups have booked
fun shows. Other events we are proud of this year will include a semi-truck show in August and
the Carson and Barnes Circus in September.
• Freedom Park – Reading in the Park has seen growth each year since its inception thanks to the
TBJ Early Learning Center Aleisha Sheridan (former principle), Ginger Ashby (current principle),
Stephanie Dowell and the Henderson County Public Library Children’s Librarian Danielle Anguish
which includes free lunch provided through the public schools nutrition program spearheaded
by Charlotte Baumgartner. The reading in the park expanded in 2016 with locations at the
fairgrounds in the county and Central Park in downtown Henderson. The City and County
hosting this event allowed over 1500 children to be fed during the summer of 2016, this could
not be possible without the Nutrition Program of Henderson County Schools.
• Charles Alexander Park has numerous community events throughout the year many of which
are partnered with the local Smith Mills Lions Club and Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church. There are
family gatherings, benefits, and celebrations at this small but mighty park.
• Henderson County Parks & Programs will be implementing a memorial program for families to
dedicate benches and trees with in our county parks which include, Baskett Recreation Park,
Smith Mills Park, Freedom Park, Henderson County Fairgrounds, and Sandy Lee Watkins Park.
This program will allow families to have a permanent remembrance of a special loved one or a
special event.
• The biggest accomplishment for county parks is the partnerships we have developed in the last
four years, partnerships that include numerous volunteers; these volunteers are selfless, unpaid
community servants that we could not have growth without. The Henderson County Fair Board,
Henderson County Volunteer Firefighters, Henderson Area Riding Club, Western Kentucky
Saddlebred, Kentucky Junior Rodeo, Kentucky High School Rodeo, Helping Hands Truckers,
Henderson R/C Airplane Club, Inc., Chase Fulcher and Kentucky Farm Bureau, Henderson Family
Court, Herron Auction Realty and many more provide quality outdoor events for our community
families.

County Road Department 2016-17 Highlights:
• Maintained safety on county roads during the winter storms or 911 call out emergency events
with minimum over time (just 57.5 overtime hours for the year)
• Infrastructure repairs and updates
o Moss and Moss
o Green River #2 replaced bridge with box culvert
o Reed Owensboro Upgraded Drainage with concrete pipes
o Salt storage at the river port Completed construction of a salt storage unit at the
Henderson County River port which will allow us to purchase and store bulk amounts of
salt for winter storms while keeping the cost down
o Upgraded 4,227’ Drainage pipe
o Installed 4,503.22 Tons of Blacktop
• Tons of material hauled by the HCRD – 46,424.23 tons
• Grading and maintaining:
o 125.36 miles of gravel roadways
o 366.88 Blacktop
492.24 total miles
• Daily routines for the road department maintenance of over 400 miles of county roads include:
o Ditching county roads to maintain drainage
o Pothole Repairs
o Mowing roadway easements and right of ways
o Mosquito Spray – health and safety of the public
o Snow Removal
o Storm Relief – clearing debris from roadways
o Gravel Road grading and maintenance for ease of traffic
o Maintain all county roadway bridges, culverts and low water crossings and shoulder
repairs
o Installed 772’ entrance culvert pipes for home owners and property owners
• Purchased replacements for aging pieces of equipment
o Mow/Trim equipment
o Gradall
o Backhoe
• Constructed the base of the parking lot and trail head to the Audubon State Park wetlands. Once
we have completed the phase four of the walking trail at Watkins Park, we will be applying to
for a grant for bituminous concrete (hard surface) to make the Wetlands trail more handicap
accessible and user friendly. The base for the trailhead and parking areas were provided by
crushed concrete recycled from the Audubon Parkway improvements and constructed by the
Henderson County Road Department employees and equipment
• County Road Department remained fiscally conservative by finishing the year under budget.

County Clerk’s Office:
• Secured an $8,000 grant through the Department for Libraries and Archives to purchase shelving
for recording books making them more convenient and accessible for our citizens and a plat
cabinet to preserve vital records. The installation was completed in May of 2017.
• In 2017 the office has collected $221,000 in delinquent taxes and $5.7 million in registration and
titling fees, submitting $601,000 in excess fees back to the county.
• Will be installing a new credit card system that charges a lower convenience fee for credit
transactions that will save our customers money.
• Will be implementing an automated phone-in registration renewal option that can be
accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This option will add convenience and save time for the
customer. The customer will receive their renewal by mail in a few business days after the call is
made.